Did you know that all Div. 37 society members have free access to the Advances volumesopens in new window? Access titles in the series. Consistent with its mission to contribute to science, policy, and practice, each volume is accompanied by a brief executive summary available to all readers. Please be in touch with Gennetian regarding proposals or ideas for a volume.
See the most recent Advances volume, Foster Care and Best Interests of the Child: Integrating Research, Policy and Practiceopens in new window, by Sarah Fond and Elizabeth Gershoff. This brief examines the U.S. foster care system and seeks to explain why the foster care system functions as it does and how it can be improved to serve the best interest of children. It defines and evaluates key challenges that undermine child safety and well-being in the current foster care system. Chapters highlight the competing values and priorities of the system as well as the pros and cons for the use of foster care. In addition, chapters assess whether the performance objectives in which states are evaluated by the federal government are sufficient to achieve positive health and well-being outcomes for children who experience foster care. Finally, it offers recommendations for improving the system and maximizing positive outcomes.